I stayed at the Principe Hotel for a week during a business trip and had a great stay. The room was comfortable and spacious, the hotel's building is beautiful and clean, and the included breakfast had an expansive and delicious selection. The staff was also very friendly and helpful. They had good restaurant suggestions, took care of parking for us (which can be a nightmare for those not used to driving in the tiny and congested streets of Catania), and made sure food was available for those mornings that we had to leave before the breakfast began. Because this was a business trip I did not get to explore Catania as much as I would have hoped, but the hotel seemed well situated to easily access the most desirable parts of the city, although finding the hotel the first time can be difficult as it is tucked away on a dead end of a small street.

The only negative thing I have to say is that although the Internet is free, it can be difficult to access. I was unable to connect to it from my room on the 4th floor (either wirelessly or through a cable) the entire time, although I seemed to get stable reception from either the breakfast room, the fire escape, the 1st floor hallway by the hotel computer, and sometimes the lobby. However my coworker on the 2nd floor said she was able to get a consistent signal in her room because the router was actually located there. I've found this Internet problem to be common in a lot of older European hotels that have thick walls, so it is by no means unique to the Principe, but was annoying nonetheless as I had no other way to contact home back in the US.